AHIMA reshuffles board

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has elected a new president/chair and a number of directors to the board.

Cassi Birnbaum has been elected as president/chair of the 2015 board of directors.

In the role, Birnbaum will work with the board and chief executive officer Lynne Thomas Gordon, to provide strategic direction to AHIMA, the non-profit association for health information management (HIM) professionals who are responsible for protecting the accuracy of patient health information as well as safeguarding and preserving its privacy.

Birnbaum is senior vice president of HIM and consulting for Peak Health Solutions, a company specializing in providing remote coding, auditing, clinical documentation improvement, ICD-10 transition and HIM resource planning services and consultation nationwide. Birnbaum will also serve as a board member of San Diego Health Connect in 2015.

In addition to Birnbaum’s appointment, members elected a president/chair-elect, speaker of the house and three members of the board of directors, who each will serve a three-year term.

Melissa Martin has been elected as president/chair-elect. She is chief privacy officer and HIM director for West Virginia University Hospitals and a third-year AHIMA director of the board.

Laura Pait has been elected as speaker of the house. She is a senior director, HIM, Novant Health, and is responsible for the HIM operations at all the Novant acute care facilities.

Barbara Manor, Dwan Thomas-Flowers and Susan White have been appointed as directors.

“As board president/chair, Cassi’s passion, HIM knowledge and experience will be of great value to AHIMA, its members and the Board while we continue to lead the HIM community and promote steps to improve the quality of health information,” Thomas Gordon said. “

Birnbaum added: “I’m honored and excited to work with Lynne, the board, our members and the AHIMA staff as we continue AHIMA’s legacy as an advocate for HIM professionals and consumers. I look forward to putting my expertise to work as we continue to assist with important initiatives including ICD-10 implementation and the industry’s movement toward use of electronic health records to ensure healthcare professionals and patients have access to quality information when and where they need it.”